New Emission Fees to be Implemented in Panama Canal

In efforts to drive the Panama Canal to be a more carbon neutral channel, the Panama Canal Authority has informed that they plan to introduce a new green ship classification system to be imposed on ships with an exceeding length of 38.1 meters (LOA) in which those ships will be classified in regards to their energy efficiency level with a possible greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions fee to pay.

Ricaurte Vásquez Morales the Panama Canal Authority Manager made the announcement at the AAPA Latino Conference in Colombia.

Those vessels wanting to pass through the Panama Canal will be graded on three deciding factors, their Energy Efficiency Design Index (EDI) score, their use of efficient operational measures and if zero-carbon biofuels or carbon-neutral fuels are in use.

The start date of these imposed fees or their amounts has not been announced.